The impact of ageing on hand strength and control: Why it gets harder to grip, pinch, and feel

Your hands do more than help you with daily activities, they tell the story of your life. As you age, the skin on your hands begins to show signs of wear and tear long before other parts of your body, often revealing your age more than your face does. Common indicators of ageing hands include wrinkles, thinning skin, and age spots.

Ageing has a significant impact on hand strength and control, leading to reduced grip, pinch, and sensation. According to a study in Pubmed, ageing has a gradual degenerative effect on your hands, leading to reduced hand and finger strength, difficulty controlling pinch force, and maintaining a steady grip. It also affects your manual speed and the ability to sense touch accurately.

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Symptoms of declining physical fitness in ageing:

• Decreased muscle strength: Ageing often leads to a noticeable reduction in muscle mass and strength, making daily activities more challenging.

• Stiffness and joint pain: With age, joints can become stiff and painful due to wear and tear, leading to reduced flexibility.

• Fatigue and low energy: Physical activity may become exhausting more quickly, and it can take longer to recover from exertion.

• Balance issues: As muscles weaken, balance may suffer, increasing the risk of falls and injuries.

As you age, maintaining hand strength and dexterity becomes vital for preserving independence and quality of life, says Dr. Aakash Agrawal, Consultant Neurologist, Manipal Hospital, Bhubaneshwar. “When you grow old, many everyday tasks that depend on hand strength and dexterity, such as gripping, pinching, and feeling objects, can become increasingly challenging. This impacts your everyday life," he adds.

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Here are a few key factors that contribute to this decline in hand function, according to Dr Agrawal:

• Sarcopenia: The loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, is common in older adults. This condition often arises from inactivity, especially after retirement, along with hormonal changes, poor nutrition, and chronic inflammation from diseases like diabetes and arthritis.

• Muscle replacement: As sarcopenia progresses, muscle fibres, particularly in the thenar and interossei muscles, which are essential for hand movements, can be replaced by fatty tissue. This leads to diminished gripping and pinching abilities.

• Motor neuron decline: Ageing also results in a decrease in motor neurons. With fewer neurons stimulating the muscles, individuals experience reduced strength, control, and coordination in their hand movements.

• Decreased sensory feedback: Sensory feedback from the fingertips and hand muscles is crucial for hand function. Conditions such as diabetes can damage the sensory nervous system, leading to a reduction in feedback and making precise movements more difficult.

• Visual acuity: Age-related visual impairments, such as cataracts and presbyopia, can interfere with hand control. Since good vision is essential for object manipulation, any decline in sight limits the ability to perform tasks that require hand-eye coordination.

• Joint stiffness: Conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease can cause joint stiffness and muscle rigidity. This stiffness reduces finger dexterity and makes tasks that were once simple much more difficult.

• Range and speed of motion: In older adults, stiffness limits both the range and speed of motion, further hindering grip and pinch strength, making it harder to perform daily activities.

Coping strategies: